You can’t always get what you want You can’t always get what you want You can’t always get what you want But if you try sometimes well you might find You get what you need (Rolling Stones)

One of the first things I learned after moving to Bakersfield, California (15 years ago) was B.C. Part of the CA Community Colleges of California. Bakersfield College has a proud reputation (Mostly football) but something the community loves attaching local pride. Across Bako (CSUB) is the full university, part of the largest university system in the USA. Finally the two mergers are taking place, slowly, and one can get into a community college, transfer in and get a degree. Makes sense, finally.

The main 4 year college doesn’t have a football program (excellent choice, but has a big reputation in college wrestling, and growing other sports (made their 1st. NCAA tourney in round-ball last year after a few years in the top division.)

You don’t need to know this crap, just wanted to get some local background into the story.

This blog is about “GOALS.” I’ve been a believer in yearly goals since I was a kid. Probably the influence of sports coaches and needing a direction in life.

It became the most important part of my career when I became a “straight-commission” sales guy in a new territory (CA, HI, NV) in 1981. If you don’t have a plan of travel, sales, expenses, one can starve. I wasn’t about to starve so I had to learn to plan my year, every year. Every day!

I would pick a desolate crummy motel in the mountains or desert a few hundred miles from home, rent a room the week after Christmas and plan every month, week and day of the new year. It worked, that’s all I know. Always exceeded my plans, income and growth so I never stopped my yearly get away.

This year was no different, but I’m not trying to exceed anything, just learn something new.

2016 goal was to attend B.C. My newest goal. To get to B.C. and learn a new course being taught. I had left the live entertainment music playing for over 20 years and now that I got back into live music playing (Keyboard) my ignorance of technical skills about the world of “MIDI” (musical instrumental digital interface)…a protocol to allow different electronic instruments to communicate. I wasn’t sure it would make do much for my live playing, but I was excited how much more I could accomplish in my home recording studio. And it would be FUN!

A great prof, wonderful written book and I was kicking ass for a couple months. Couldn’t wait to study…every day.

We had these new huge Apple computers with built in recording programs.

About three months into the course I turned on the Apple screen and it looked like gibberish. I was lost. I’m a tech guy, never get lost on a computer. I was lost. I called the prof over and I’m sure he was wondering why this old fart was over his head. So did I.

I blamed some new back-pain meds that had my brain scrambled and went back to my neurologist raising hell.

Didn’t take long to find out the problem wasn’t meds. B.C. for 2017 wasn’t going to be what I thought.

B.C. suddenly changed its meaning. 2017 will be the year of Brain Cancer. What the hell is that?